69ý

Social Studies

Writing Social Studies Standards: A (Dramatic) Year in Review

By Ileana Najarro — December 23, 2022 4 min read
Photo of students pointing at map.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Political debate and pressure took center stage this year when it came to states’ expectations for how history and civics are taught in K-12 schools.

Social studies standards help guide instruction in the classroom, both in terms of what content to cover and how to do so. State boards of education typically oversee the process of drafting and approving new standards. In a best-case scenario, this process is informed by and inclusive of the expertise and the best practices of educators and scholars, not partisan views, said Lawrence Paska, the executive director of the National Council for the Social Studies.

But a review of what happened with social studies standards this year illustrates that conservative policymakers and organizations made a concerted effort to shape policy action around social studies curricula.

These actions often upended efforts to make history instruction—never particularly progressive to start off with—more inclusive and promoted American exceptionalism in civics. It’s something educators connect to the growing number of legislative attempts to restrict how topics of race and sexuality are taught in schools.

“Historically, the challenge has been how to be inclusive,” Paska said. “Now, what we’re seeing, though, is not mandating inclusion, but the opposite, mandating exclusion: ‘Here’s what you can’t talk about, here’s who you can’t talk about.’”

Several policymakers purposefully came into the revision process intending to resist progressive social studies instruction, said Jonathan Collins, an assistant professor of political science, education, and public policy at Brown University.

Many of them wound up realizing that the task of actually shifting standards isn’t as easy as merely opposing them. It means doing all the work that writing standards involves, and then getting teachers to adhere to them, Collins said.

See Also

Image of a social study book coming to visual life with edits to the content.
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week (Source imagery: Orensila and iStock/Getty)
Social Studies Revising America's Racist Past
Stephen Sawchuk, January 18, 2022
27 min read

That’s perhaps why growing numbers of book bans are taking hold in districts.

“It’s much easier to step in and superimpose a ban on a specific book than it is to rewrite or restructure the entire curriculum,” Collins said.

Here’s a recap of a few state efforts to revise social studies standards that took place this year.

Louisiana

Louisiana approved social studies standards this spring that differed greatly from earlier proposed drafts by educators attempting to make the standards more inclusive. For instance, while the new approved standards cover topics such as slavery and civil rights, mentions of LGBTQ people from earlier iterations are gone.

They place a greater emphasis in teaching American exceptionalism, and educators reported concerns about the level of specificity in the new standards and the challenge that creates in making room for teaching historical inquiry.

Florida

Educators in Florida attended summer training sessions on civics education as part of supporting the upcoming implementation of new civics standards revised in 2021 and taking effect next school year. The more patriotic—and at times prescriptive—standards came about after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a law calling for revisions.

The standards and their associated training have drawn criticism from educators and the public for how they downplay hands-on instruction and for the focus on religion’s role in the founding of the country.

Texas

The state board of education delayed its social studies standards-revision process until 2025, following pressure from conservative groups in public testimony and emails to board members.

Opposed to existing drafts that sought to include topics such as the more global history and the history of the LGBTQ Pride movements, these groups called for delays in moving forward until their concerns were met.

The resulting decision also upended the process of implementing new Asian American and American Indian/Native studies courses as part of the broader revised standards.

Other developments of note

EdWeek didn’t cover every state’s social studies developments individually, but we kept an eye out for themes that kept cropping up. Here are some short roundups of those developments.

Virginia’s board of education delayed its standards-revision process this year after schools chief Jillian Balow asked for more time for five new board members, appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to take part in the process.

In November, the board ,with the latest draft drawing criticism, especially when compared with earlier, lengthier iterations, according to local reports.

Opponents argue the new draft omits historic perspectives of communities of color and the LGBTQ community. They also question the drastic change from the detailed work of educators and scholars involved in earlier proposed drafts.

Balow said some of the excised content would be put into more detailed “curriculum frameworks” to be released later.

In Colorado, the Democrat-controlled board of education approved standards that included perspectives of various ethnic, religious and LGBTQ groups, though its process was also mired in political back and forth, Utah, similarly, approved new expectations for 5th and 6th graders that expanded some of those topics despite heavy lobbying from conservative groups,

And in South Dakota, the on the standards-revision process had politically polarized public comment taking center stage. Most in attendance opposed the latest drafts and process overall, according to local reports.

Opposition focused on the increased difficulty for elementary grades, questions over how well Native American history is covered, and questions over the role educators were able to play in the drafting process.

South Dakota’s draft comes after state leaders rewrote, and then threw out, a draft set of standards written largely by educators in 2021.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Social Studies 'If We Don’t Vote, Nothing Is Going to Change': First-Time Voters Report Back
69ý at this Wyoming high school share their experience of voting for the first time.
6 min read
Arapahoe Charter School seniors Alissah C'Hair, Kenya Rhodes, Dontae Antelope, Esperanza Sittingeagle, Zona Roskowske, and Kieden Birdshead stand for a group photo after casting their votes on Nov. 5, 2024, in Arapahoe, Wy.
Arapahoe Charter School seniors Alissah C'Hair, Kenya Rhodes, Dontae Antelope, Esperanza Sittingeagle, Zona Roskowske, and Kieden Birdshead stand for a group photo after casting their votes on Nov. 5, 2024, in Arapahoe, Wy.
Carl Cote for Education Week
Social Studies Download What Is Social Studies Literacy? How Educators In the Field Teach 69ý
The sources students consult, the kinds of arguments they make, differ from history to economics to geography.
1 min read
Image of a bookshelf.
Luoman/E+
Social Studies Inside the Class Where 69ý Talk About Abortion, Trump v. Harris, and More
A Maine high school has piloted a new class called Election Year, where students dive deep into campaign politics.
8 min read
EdTech Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Teaching assistant Megan Leddy holds up her laptop to show an Electoral College map to students Sabrina Conary and Asher Clark during a discussion in the Election Year course at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2024.
Linda Coan O'Kresik for Education Week
Social Studies 'Can We Trust This Source?' And Other Questions Readers Ask in History
Historical texts require students to weigh authors' bias, context, and audience.
7 min read
Illustration of student reading book with tinted glasses.
Dan Page for Education Week